Planned Parenthood Program Is Multifaceted

April 14, 1985|by ROSEMARY JONES, Sunday Call-Chronicle.

Educating the community is one of the primary services provided by the staff of Planned Parenthood of the Lehigh Valley. Although the clinics operated by the organization receive federal funding, its education department does not. Consequently, other sources of financial help must be found to assure continuance of the wide variety of programs offered to the public.

The recent opening of The Elephant's Trunk, a consignment shop operated by Friends of Planned Parenthood at 324 Main St., Emmaus, is the latest undertaking aimed at providing needed income, and there's no one who wishes the shop more success than Mary Rauner, PPLV's director of education. "We're growing by leaps and bounds," she said, mentioning statistics which indicate that although 3,000 people were reached in 1983, that number grew to more than 4,000 last year. "Obviously, as we expand our programs we need more income."

Stressing that the community education services are geared to people of all ages and stages in life, Mrs. Rauner noted that "sexuality is a lifelong process - not a one-time event - and we try to reflect this in our programming. For instance, there is a session we present in schools and churches for children as young as 9. We're not teaching the youngsters 'sex' per se but the building of self-image and self-respect. And we work a lot with the 'special' population - kids who are at places like Wiley House or Valley Youth House."

Workshops for parents of children from as young as 3 up to late adolescence are among the most-requested PPLV presentations. For those with pre-school children, the sessions provide information and activities geared toward helping the parents to develop healthy sexuality in the child and at the same time promote parent-child communication. This program can also be altered to focus on elementary school or adolescent youngsters. In fact, nearly all of the PPLV offerings can be tailor-made in this way to meet the needs of a particular audience.

Another workshop which addresses "raising your child in a

sexually permissive world" helps parents to define a middle ground between the "anything goes" philosophy of a permissive society and the total censorship approach to sexuality. In this workshop, discussion centers on dealing with outside influences on the child, such as the media and peer pressure.

"Let's face it, parents are definitely the best sex educators for their children - but sometimes they can't or won't deal with the subject," Mrs. Rauner said. "We feel our job is to help open communication in that area. We don't preach attitudes or values, you understand. That's a very subjective thing, but we try to augment what the parents are teaching.

"Kids are going to learn about sex from birth to death," she continued, "and parents have to decide if they're going to be involved."

The teen years are well recognized as the crucial time in forming attitudes about sex. For that reason, Planned Parenthood offers a diverse selection of programs covering all facets of sexuality for adolescents. Something as basic as decision-making is covered in a two-part workshop aimed at improving young peoples' ability to make choices when confronted with peer pressure, drugs and alcohol, as well as their own sexuality. Another presentation is designed to help teens clarify their position on sexual limits and give reinforcement for saying "no." Other topics such as teen parenting, conception and contraception are the focus of separate programs.

"People have the idea that we encourage abortions," Mrs. Rauner declared. "That couldn't be further from the truth. We're appalled by the number of abortions being performed, and we feel that educating people will cut back on the need for them."

One of the seminars offered for college students and adults is, in fact, entitled "Responsible Loving." The major topics covered include the difference between infatuation and love, responsible sexuality and mature vs. immature relationships. College students also receive a wealth of practical information in sessions on premenstrual syndrome (PMS), contraceptive techniques and understanding gynecological examination procedures. And in response to an increasing need, PPLV has a herpes outreach program which provides information, counseling and a support group for persons afflicted with the disease.

Mrs. Rauner noted that PPLV representatives consult often with school personnel, and speakers affiliated with the organization discuss contraception in many high school sex education classes. "Actually, the speakers teach the 'why-fors' instead of the 'how-tos' and stress responsibility for adult actions," she declared. "They also give important information - the fact that having multiple partners increases the risk of getting cervical cancer, for example. And facts about herpes. Kids need a lot more information about their sexuality than they're getting, and we're trying to remedy that.